Liberal Party of Norway

The Liberal Party, also known as Venstre, is a social liberal political party in Norway that was founded on 28 January 1884. The party initially had the support of the farmers and the progressive members of the bourgeoisie, and it was the first political party in Norway. The party was the dominant party for several decades, but it underwent several schisms; the Moderate Liberal Party left the party in 1888, followed by the Free-minded Liberal Party in 1909. The party enacted reforms such as parliamentarism, freedom of religion, universal suffrage, and state schooling, and it was the largest party in Norway from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries. In the years after World War II, the Liberal Party became a smaller party as it lost support, and it participated in centrist and center-right coalition governments with the Conservative Party of Norway and other parties.